Personal Budgets for children and young people with SEND

A personal budget can be used to arrange and pay for support agreed in your child or young person’s education, health and care plan (ECHP).

You don’t have to have a personal budget but it can give you more control and choice over how to meet your child’s or your needs.

Read our Personal Budgets for Children and Young People with additional needs policy (PDF).

How to request a personal budget

You can request a personal budget if your child has an EHCP, or if you are a young person with an EHCP.

You can do this during the education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment or the EHCP annual review.

Speak to your SEND Case Officer about requesting a personal budget for your child or yourself, if you are the young person.

What you can use a personal budget for

Personal budgets must be used to pay for services to help achieve the outcomes agreed in the EHCP.

They cannot be used to pay for a place in school or college.

Manage your personal budget

There are 4 ways you can manage a personal budget.

Direct payments

You can use direct payments to arrange and pay for care yourself.

Managed arrangement

This is also called a notional budget where we, a school or college hold the money and buy your care for you.

Third-party direct payment to a care provider

This is also called a provider-managed account where you agree for an independent organisation to hold the money for you. This organisation arranges and pays for the care for you.

A combination of all 3

You can use mix of direct payment managed budget and third-party direct payment, to pay for your care.

More information and advice

Wokingham SEND information, advice and support service (SENDIASS) provides advice and support for children and young people with SEND. To find out more about the support they offer, visit the SENDIASS website.

For more information and advice about EHCPs and personal budgets, get in touch with our Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Service.